Russia is framing artificial intelligence as a geopolitical technology on par with nuclear weapons, with Sberbank First Deputy CEO Alexander Vedyakhin warning that only nations capable of building their own large language models will hold real influence in the 21st century. Speaking at Moscow’s flagship AI Journey event, Vedyakhin said Russia considers it a strategic achievement to be among the few countries with home-grown AI and insists the state must rely exclusively on domestic models for sensitive sectors like public services, healthcare, and education. His comments echo President Vladimir Putin’s recent remarks that indigenous AI is essential for Russian sovereignty. While Sberbank and Yandex lead Russia’s push to compete with U.S. and Chinese AI giants, sanctions and limited computing power continue to restrain Moscow’s capability.
Why It Matters
Russia’s framing of AI as a sovereignty-defining technology signals a hardening global divide in the race for digital power. By likening AI to nuclear capability, Moscow is underscoring the strategic leverage it believes advanced models can confer over national security, economic competitiveness, and societal infrastructure. For Western policymakers, the statement highlights how AI is increasingly entwined with geopolitical rivalry, sanctions regimes, and technological self-reliance. For markets, the message is more nuanced: despite the rhetoric, Russia admits it cannot match global leaders in compute or scale, and it warns investors that AI infrastructure spending may not repay itself quickly, raising questions about the economic viability of high-intensity AI development.
Russia’s state institutions, security apparatus, and public-service sectors are central consumers of domestic AI models as Moscow seeks digital autonomy. Sberbank and Yandex are the primary corporate developers, tasked with building national-scale models under sanctions constraints. Western governments and AI firms remain part of the geopolitical backdrop, as Russia’s push for self-sufficiency follows restricted access to advanced chips and cloud hardware. Russian businesses, from healthcare to education providers, will increasingly rely on domestic AI systems while international partners watch how far Russia can expand its capabilities without global supply chains.
What’s Next
Russia aims to expand from one or two national AI systems to several independent models, but its development will remain limited by restricted access to high-performance computing. Moscow will continue steering AI regulation toward data sovereignty, banning foreign models from handling state or sensitive information. As Russia ramps its rhetoric around AI power, expect greater global pressure for technological blocs, digital “non-alignment,” and AI export controls. Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s caution about an “AI bubble” hints that its investments will be narrower and more state-directed than those in the U.S. or China, potentially slowing innovation but avoiding the risk of overextension.
Move offers potential cover as Trump eyes expanded operations against Venezuela’s Maduro.
Published On 24 Nov 202524 Nov 2025
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The United States is set to designating Venezuela’s “Cartel de los Soles” a foreign “terrorist” organisation (FTO).
President Donald Trump’s administration will add the “cartel”, which it asserts is linked to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to the list on Monday.
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However, the entity is not actually a cartel, but rather a common reference to military officers and officials involved in corruption and other illegal activities.
The move, which comes amid a huge military buildup in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela by the US, could offer legal cover to potential direct military action.
Trump is reportedly mulling the next step in his campaign against the South American country. A strike on Venezuelan territory would constitute a major escalation of the months-long US operation in the region, which has seen more than 80 people killed in strikes on boats accused of trafficking drugs.
UN officials and scholars of international law have said that the strikes are in clear violation of US and international law and amount to extrajudicial executions.
Washington is poised to launch a new phase of operations in the coming days, unnamed US officials told the Reuters news agency.
The report said the exact timing and scope of the new operations, and whether Trump had made a final decision to act, was unclear.
A senior administration official said they would not rule anything out regarding Venezuela.
Two of the officials said covert operations would likely be the first part of a new action against Maduro, with options under consideration including an attempt to overthrow the longstanding Venezuelan leader.
Cartel de los Soles
Venezuelans began using the term Cartel de los Soles in the 1990s to refer to high-ranking military officers who had grown rich from drug-running.
As corruption later expanded nationwide, first under the late President Hugo Chavez and then Maduro, the use of the term loosely expanded to include police and government officials, as well as activities like illegal mining and fuel trafficking.
The “suns” in the name refer to the epaulettes affixed to the uniforms of high-ranking military officers.
The umbrella term was elevated to a reported drug-trafficking organisation allegedly led by Maduro in 2020, when the US Department of Justice in Trump’s first term announced the indictment of Venezuela’s leader and his inner circle on narcoterrorism and other charges.
Maduro, in power since 2013, contends that Trump seeks to topple him and that Venezuelan citizens and the military will resist any such attempt.
However, the US campaign and the fears of potential military action continue to raise the pressure on Caracas.
Six airlines cancelled their routes to Venezuela on Saturday after the US aviation regulator warned of dangers from “heightened military activity”.
Spain’s Iberia, Portugal’s TAP, Chile’s LATAM, Colombia’s Avianca and Brazil’s GOL suspended their flights to the country, said Marisela de Loaiza, president of the Venezuelan Airlines Association (ALAV).
Turkish Airlines said on Sunday it was also cancelling flights from November 24 to 28.
Jude Bellingham’s 87th minute equaliser rescued Real Madrid from defeat at Elche as Los Blancos return to top of ladder.
Published On 24 Nov 202524 Nov 2025
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Jude Bellingham struck late on to secure Real Madrid a 2-2 draw at Elche on Sunday, taking his team top of La Liga by a point.
Xabi Alonso’s side struggled against their mid-table opponents in an entertaining battle in which Madrid twice came from behind.
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Aleix Febas fired the hosts ahead before Dean Huijsen levelled for the league leaders, with Bellingham stabbing home from close range after Alvaro Rodriguez blasted Elche back in front.
Barcelona cut Madrid’s lead by two points over the weekend after they thrashed Athletic Bilbao 4-0 on Saturday in their first match back at Camp Nou.
Alonso afforded Rodrygo Goes a rare start as part of the attack, while benching Vinicius Junior. The coach also gave Trent Alexander-Arnold his first start since August.
The England international missed several weeks injured and is yet to find form following his summer switch from Liverpool.
Alexander-Arnold was also partly to blame for Febas’s goal, with the midfielder sneaking in behind him to break the deadlock in the second half.
Forward Alvaro Rodriguez, third from right, scores his team’s second goal in the 84th minute to put Elche ahead of Real Madrid 2-1 [Alberto Saiz/AP]
Elche sets the tone
Elche impressed against Barcelona a few weeks ago and gave Madrid a tough night at the Martinez Valero stadium.
Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine early save to deny Andre da Silva after Hector Fort teed him up.
The forward was involved in an unfortunate incident earlier in the day at Real Madrid’s annual general meeting, when Los Blancos displayed his photograph by accident in a tribute to former Liverpool striker Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who both died in a car crash in July.
Former Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena denied Kylian Mbappe after the French forward broke through on goal and then stopped the French superstar’s volley in Madrid’s best chance of the first half.
Elche stunned Madrid early in the second half with a slick move to take the lead.
German Valera’s superb backheel allowed Febas to dart behind Alexander-Arnold and squeeze a shot across the goal, past Courtois and in off the post.
Alonso responded by sending on Vinicius Jr and then young striker Gonzalo Garcia. Alexander-Arnold earned some redemption with his contribution to Madrid’s equaliser.
His cross was deflected against his own crossbar by a defender and behind for a corner. Alexander-Arnold whipped it in and Bellingham flicked it on into Huijsen’s path to bash home.
Elche took the lead again when Rodriguez caught out Courtois with a powerful drive from the edge of the box.
However, three minutes later Madrid equalised for a second time, with Mbappe only just keeping the ball in for Bellingham to convert from point-blank range.
The England midfielder was in the spotlight back home earlier in the week after he was unhappy to be taken off by national team coach Thomas Tuchel.
Bellingham was not at his best against Elche but was involved in both Madrid goals, highlighting his game-changing ability in the box even when otherwise quiet.
Real Madrid’s Bellingham scores in the 87th minute to level the contest at 2-2 [Angel Martinez/Getty Images]
Star forward Lionel Messi played a part in all four goals as Inter Miami moved on to the MLS Eastern Conference finals.
Published On 24 Nov 202524 Nov 2025
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Tadeo Allende scored a second-half brace, Lionel Messi scored and picked up three assists and Inter Miami pulled away a 4-0 victory over Cincinnati in Sunday’s Major League Soccer (MLS) Eastern Conference semifinal.
Mateo Silvetti, 19, also had a goal and an assist for No 3 seed Miami, which continues its deepest MLS Cup Playoff run in club history by advancing to its first East final. It will host No 5 seed New York City FC, which shut out top-seeded Philadelphia Union 1-0 on Sunday night.
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Cincinnati was eliminated in a home match for a third consecutive postseason while falling a match short of reaching its second East final.
Miami’s second consecutive 4-0 playoff win – after earning a home victory over Nashville in the decisive game of the round one series two weeks ago – came as manager Javier Mascherano decided not to return key striker Luis Suarez to the starting lineup.
Suarez, who was previously Messi’s longtime teammate at Barcelona, served a red-card suspension in the final Nashville match, but had 10 goals and 10 assists in the regular season.
But Messi and a more youthful Miami front four have appeared to reach another level over the last 180 minutes.
Messi has six goals and six assists this postseason – contributing to every single Miami tally – after he scored 29 goals and added 19 assists during what is likely to be a second consecutive MLS MVP-winning regular season.
Messi, right, scores Miami’s first goal as Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano, third from left, tries to defend during the first half of their Eastern Conference semifinal [Tanner Pearson/AP]
Messi dominates East semifinal
On Sunday, Messi scored his goal in the 19th minute during what was an evenly poised opening to the match.
Jodi Alba created the opportunity when he stepped forward from his left back position to intercept a Cincinnati pass and create a transition opportunity.
Eventually, Silvetti got the ball in space on the left and delivered an outswinging cross that Messi met in stride with a firm header past goalkeeper Roman Celentano.
Silvetti doubled Miami’s lead in the 57th minute on a sequence that began from a throw-in on the right. Allende did extremely well to receive the throw, then turn his body quickly to elude a defender and spot Messi in space near the penalty arc. Messi kept the ball moving right to left with a layoff into Silvetti’s path, who dispatched an excellent curling finish beyond Celentano and inside the far right post.
Allende added his brace in the 62nd and 74th minutes, both on transition opportunities. Messi took the ball off Evander on the first to create the break, and the final through ball on both.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said after Saturday’s loss that “everyone in the team has to take responsibility” and with Slot’s team mustering just one win in their past seven league matches, the shadow of his predecessor is beginning to loom over the Dutchman.
“I think Slot’s got a big job to get them back playing and winning,” said Rooney.
“The big thing is when he has a run of results like this, Klopp’s name keeps getting brought up.
“It’s a bit like the presence with Sir Alex Ferguson. For instance, when David Moyes came in [at Manchester United] and [Louis] Van Gaal, Fergie’s name would always get brought up.
“With Slot, Klopp keeps getting brought up. ‘He’s not Jurgen Klopp, he’s not as good as Jurgen Klopp’.
“But I think the Liverpool fans just need to move away from that and get behind him.”
When South Africa opens the 2025 G20 Summit on November 22nd in Cape Town, the meeting will not simply be another high-level diplomatic gathering. It will be a test of what global leadership looks like in an era defined by debt crises, climate shocks, and geopolitical fragmentation. It will also be a summit shaped as much by who is present as by who is absent.
For the first time since leaders began to regularly attend the G20, the United States is not expected to attend at the presidential level. That absence will hang heavily over a summit built around three themes that South Africa has placed at the core of its G20 hosting: solidarity, equality, and sustainability. This is not symbolic branding. These are principles that directly challenge the structure and priorities of the current international system and America’s decision not to participate will only magnify their political weight.
South Africa’s Vision for a More Equal Order
South Africa has been clear about what it wants this G20 to represent. The country’s diplomats have framed the summit as an opportunity to “rebalance global governance” and restore trust between advanced economies and the Global South. That begins with solidarity, not as a moral appeal but as a practical necessity in a world where the gaps in competition are tightening across virtually every sector.
South African officials have emphasized that the world is too interconnected, through supply chains, energy markets, debt exposures, and climate shocks, for any nation to pursue growth alone. Solidarity, in their framing, means shared responsibility for global risks and shared input into global rules.
Expect to see debt restructuring as a key component of the weekend. Dozens of low and middle-income countries are approaching insolvency. Many see the G20 as the only venue capable of compelling creditors, including China, Western banks, and the IMF to negotiate jointly. South Africa intends to push for more predictable mechanisms, faster timelines, and deeper reductions of overall debt.
The theme of equality is expected to be even more pointed. Pretoria has argued that the international financial system remains structurally biased. Voting power at the IMF does not reflect modern economic reality. Climate finance packages distribute risk upward and accountability downward. Supply chain standards reflect the priorities of wealthy states far more than those of producing states.
South Africa wants this summit to pressure advanced economies to move beyond incrementalism and to recognize developing nations as cooperators, not beneficiaries, of global economic design.
Sustainability as an Economic Imperative
As noted in the central theme of the summit, sustainability is the key talking point of the weekend. South Africa is expected to focus on climate adaptation financing, food security resilience, renewable infrastructure gaps, green industrialization, and the economic displacement climate change is already causing.
Pretoria’s message is blunt: sustainability is not the environmental chapter of the global economy, it is the global economy. The safeguards nations build today will determine whether their populations can withstand the shocks of the coming decade.
The Symbolism of America’s Absence
While the summit’s themes are forward-looking, the headlines thus far are dominated by one glaring issue; The United States is boycotting the event, and not sending a single delegate.
This absence is certainly meant to be received as a bold statement. In a moment when most of the global agenda is being rewritten around solidarity, shared burdens, debt relief, and climate vulnerability, the United States is choosing not to stand at the table.
Many delegations will read this as confirmation of what they already suspected: that the U.S. is prioritizing bilateral leverage and transactional deals over multilateral governance. In other words, America is choosing power over partnership.
That decision will have ripple effects. If Washington is not present to influence the language of solidarity or the scope of sustainability targets, other powers will be. The U.S. forfeits not only visibility, but the ability to shape norms that will define the next phase of global cooperation. The strongman tactic will prove less effective as the world continues to accelerate towards a multipolar world, as opposed to a unipolar order where D.C. stands above the rest.
China and India Eager to Fill the Vacuum
China is expected to enter the summit with a confident posture, despite Xi Jinping not attending. Beijing has spent the past several years positioning itself as the Global South’s premier development partner. A G20 centered around equality and solidarity aligns perfectly with China’s messaging: that it represents a more inclusive, less conditional model of global cooperation. This message will be even more prominent with an absentee America. To capitalize on the overall theme of moving away from Western dominated structures, it would be reasonable to assume that many lending systems denominated in the Yuan will be discussed on the sidelines.
India, meanwhile, will frame itself as the democratic partner of choice for developing economies. Expect New Delhi to emphasize supply chain diversification, digital equality, and climate-resilient infrastructure. India will also push for greater representation of Global South nations in multilateral institutions, a message that will resonate strongly in Africa and Southeast Asia.
Europe Attempts to Lead
European leaders will arrive prepared to engage deeply on sustainability and climate finance, but without Washington their influence will be limited. Europe cannot match America’s financial firepower nor China’s development machinery.
While Europeans tend to embrace the rhetoric of solidarity, they remain cautious about large-scale debt forgiveness, new climate financing mandates, and reforms that would dilute their institutional voting power. That tension prevents Europe from presenting itself as the natural successor to U.S. leadership, but rather an extension of it in the eyes of many developing nations.
A Summit That Signals a Changing Global Order
If South Africa succeeds in shaping the weekend around solidarity, equality, and sustainability, the summit could represent the most significant shift in G20 philosophy since its creation.
Tomorrow’s G20 will not be remembered for dramatic breakthroughs. It will be remembered for something subtler but more consequential; a turning point in global governance where the United States stepped back and the rest of the world showed it could step forward.
Move comes as a growing number of countries are rolling out measures to limit children’s exposure to digital platforms.
Published On 24 Nov 202524 Nov 2025
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Malaysia plans to ban social media for users under the age of 16 starting from next year, joining a growing list of countries choosing to limit access to digital platforms due to concerns about child safety.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said on Sunday the government was reviewing mechanisms used to impose age restrictions for social media use in Australia and other nations, citing a need to protect youths from online harms such as cyberbullying, financial scams and child sexual abuse.
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“We hope by next year that social media platforms will comply with the government’s decision to bar those under the age of 16 from opening user accounts,” he told reporters, according to a video of his remarks posted online by local daily The Star.
The effects of social media on children’s health and safety have become a growing global concern, with companies including TikTok, Snapchat, Google and Meta Platforms – the operator of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – facing lawsuits in the United States for their role in driving a mental health crisis.
In Australia, social media platforms are poised to deactivate accounts registered to users younger than 16 next month, under a sweeping ban for teenagers that is being closely watched by regulators around the world.
France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece are also jointly testing a template for an age verification app.
Malaysia’s neighbour Indonesia said in January it planned to set a minimum age for social media users, but later issued a less stringent regulation requiring tech platforms to filter negative content and impose stronger age verification measures.
Malaysia has put social media companies under greater scrutiny in recent years in response to what it claims to be a rise in harmful content, including online gambling and posts related to race, religion and royalty.
Platforms and messaging services with more than eight million users in Malaysia are now required to obtain a license under a new regulation that came into effect in January.
The United States and Ukraine have announced a revised framework for ending the Russia-Ukraine war after an earlier proposal by Washington drew criticism for being too favourable to Moscow.
US and Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that they agreed that any deal to end Russia’s war should “fully uphold” Ukraine’s sovereignty as they unveiled an “updated and refined peace framework” that was scant on details.
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“Both sides agreed the consultations were highly productive. The discussions showed meaningful progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps,” officials said in a joint statement following talks in Geneva, adding that the sides agreed on the need for a “sustainable and just peace”.
Washington and Kyiv also reiterated their readiness to keep working together to “secure a peace that ensures Ukraine’s security, stability, and reconstruction”, the joint statement said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier on Sunday said the sides had made “tremendous” progress during the talks, though their joint statement offered no specifics for resolving the many thorny points of contention between Moscow and Kyiv.
Rubio said negotiators had made some changes to US President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan, including around the role of NATO, to narrow the differences between the sides.
“I can tell you that the items that remain open are not insurmountable. We just need more time than what we have today. I honestly believe we’ll get there,” Rubio told reporters at the US mission in Geneva.
Rubio declined to go into specifics about the amendments to the draft proposal, including whether Kyiv had agreed to compromise on key Russian demands, such as territorial concessions.
“But I can tell you, I guess, that I feel very optimistic that we can get something done here because we made a tremendous amount of progress today,” Rubio said.
Rubio’s cautiously optimistic remarks came after Trump, who has given Ukraine until Thursday to accept his 28-point plan, had earlier accused Kyiv of being insufficiently grateful for his administration’s assistance.
“UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA,” Trump posted on his social media site, Truth Social.
Shortly after Trump’s comments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that he was grateful to the US and “personally to President Trump” for Washington’s assistance in repelling Moscow’s invasion.
Trump’s leaked blueprint for ending the war has caused consternation in Kyiv and European capitals due to its alignment with many of Moscow’s hardline demands, including that Ukraine limit the size of its military and give up Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk.
Zelenskyy said in a sombre national address last week that the plan put Ukraine in the position of having to choose between “losing dignity” or “losing a key partner”.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that any peace plan needed to respect Ukraine’s freedom to “choose its own destiny,” including to join the bloc.
“It starts with the country’s reconstruction, its integration into our Single Market and our defence industrial base, and ultimately, joining our Union,” von der Leyen said in a statement.
Asked whether a deal could be reached by Trump’s Thursday deadline, Rubio said “we want to get this done as soon as possible”.
“Obviously, we would love it to be Thursday,” he said.
Rubio said the peace plan was a “living, breathing document” and would continue to change.
The top US diplomat also said the deal would need to be presented to Moscow for its approval.
“Obviously, the Russians get a vote here,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Trump’s plan could form the basis for a final peace settlement, but warned that Moscow would advance further into Ukrainian territory if Kyiv refused to negotiate.
Budget week is upon us and many of Monday’s papers focus on Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s upcoming statement on Wednesday. The Metro writes that repeated leaks in the build-up to the Budget have damaged the economy. It quotes Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane as saying there is “paralysis among businesses and consumers” due to a flurry of reports about its contents in recent weeks.
The Daily Express says pensioners will “lose £800 a year” if the Chancellor does not lift income tax thresholds. The paper reports that Reeves is expected to keep the tax-free allowance at its current level until 2030, extending a freeze first introduced by the previous Conservatives government and is due to expire in 2028. That would mean some people on state pensions being forecast to pay tax on part of their pension when the allowance increases as expected next year.
The Mirror leads with a poll suggesting some want Reeves to “hit the super-rich in her autumn budget”. The Labour-supporting paper reports on a poll conducted by centre-left campaign group 38 Degrees, which indicates that “64% of voters back tax hikes on wealth”.
The Chancellor is “set to target universities” in the Budget according to the i Newspaper. Plans to raise international student fees to fund “grants for poorer British students” have been floated ahead of the statement, the paper says.
The Daily Telegraph says £15bn in extra welfare spending will be included in the Budget, which leads with reports Reeves plans to scrap the two-child benefit cap and confirm increases to other benefits and pensions. The proposals will be “funded by a tax raid on the middle classes”, the paper reports, referring to an expected extensions to the thresholds freeze.
The Times reports that the chancellor plans to “hit more than 100,000 of Britain’s most expensive properties with a surcharge worth an average of £4,500”. The property tax was initially slated to apply to properties worth at least £1.5 million, but the Treasury is now looking at a £2 million threshold, according to the paper, due to concerns it could have impacted people who are “asset rich but cash poor”.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) says businesses face “death by a thousand taxes”, the Independent reports. It refers to comments made by the group’s director, Rain Newtown-Smith, who said the “UK risks a Groundhog Day scenario in which politics is more important than growth”.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times leads with the latest on US efforts to mediate a deal between Ukraine and Russia to end the war. It focuses on comments by Donald Trump, who said Kyiv had shown “zero gratitude” to Washington. However, the White House later said the Geneva talks had been a success and there had been progress.
The Guardians claims the BBC is planning to “overhaul the way it investigates editorial concerns”. It says the broadcaster will create a new deputy director general as part of its response to a row which saw two of its most senior leaders quit this month. The BBC has not commented on the Guardian’s story.
The Daily Mail leads on Lord David Cameron’s revelation that he was diagnosed with and successfully treated for prostate cancer in 2022. The paper says the former prime minister was initially encouraged by his wife Samantha Cameron to get a prostate test after listening to a BBC radio interview. Lord Cameron now supports “targeted screening”, the paper says.
Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas “almost died” after choking on a fishbone moments before Saturday’s live show, the Sun reports. The paper says the 65-year-old “struggled to breathe for 20 minutes backstage in Blackpool”.
And finally, the Daily Star continues its campaign for viewers to get behind former model Kelly Brooks on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
With the first example of Boeing’s F-47 sixth-generation stealth fighter for the U.S. Air Force now in production, a company official has highlighted how its prototyping effort allowed the program to move forward at a rapid pace. Winning the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program was “humbling,” said Steve Parker, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security. He added that the fact that the F-47 is now in production is a testament to “the maturity of our design and pedigree coming off the prototype.”
Parker was speaking at a pre-show media roundtable ahead of the 2025 Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates that TWZ attended.
Parker described the NGAD award as “transformational” for Boeing and added that it’s “tracking well.”
An official rendering of the Air Force’s sixth-generation fighter, the F-47. U.S. Air Force graphic Secretary of the Air Force Publi
While the Air Force has said that it aims to have the F-47 make its first flight sometime in 2028, Parker was unwilling to talk more about this.
“I won’t even touch the first flight day the Air Force has put the date out there; I’m just going to stay away from all of that,” Parker said. “It’s all about execution, and that’s what is getting all of my attention. We’re in a good spot.”
F-22 Raptors over Alaska. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. James Richardson
Parker underscored the importance of Boeing’s secretive Phantom Works, the company’s leading-edge design house that is modeled roughly on Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works, in moving the F-47 program forward.
“I put Phantom Works together as its own division last year, and so that’s playing out really, really well,” Parker explained.
The fact that the first aircraft is in production “is really kind of remarkable when you think about this award was only provided in March of this year,” Parker said.
Especially interesting was Parker’s reference to the “maturity” of the design, pointing to extensive testing not only in the digital realm but also involving a flying prototype.
When Boeing secured the NGAD crewed fighter contract earlier this year, Air Force Chief of Staff David Allvin released a statement saying that, “For the past five years, the X-planes for this aircraft have been quietly laying the foundation for the F-47 — flying hundreds of hours, testing cutting-edge concepts, and proving that we can push the envelope of technology with confidence.”
Gen. David Allvin, who was Air Force Chief of Staff from 2023 to 2025. U.S. Air Force photo by Eric Dietrich Eric Dietrich
Back in 2023, unconfirmed reports emerged that at least three NGAD demonstrators were in existence. Certainly, there were separate examples from Boeing and Lockheed Martin. At least one demonstrator was flying as early as 2019, and another joined the NGAD program in 2022.
Details of these aircraft remain practically non-existent, but the Boeing prototype (or possibly prototypes) clearly played a key role in getting the F-47 program off to a rapid start.
The few details that we do know include those that have been provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which stated that both Boeing’s and Lockheed Martin’s X-planes flew “several hundred hours each” during the NGAD evaluation.
Meanwhile, Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall went on the record to also stress that the demonstrators were entirely experimental demonstrator aircraft and not reflective of a production prototype for a “tactical design.”
Speaking in Dubai, Boeing’s Parker also put forward the case for the F-47 program being an exemplar for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s “arsenal of freedom,” his plan to totally overhaul the way the U.S. military buys weapons, with speed being at its core.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivers recorded remarks from his office at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., earlier this year. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza
“Here you have an example with the F-47 where Boeing is building highly classified facilities in the billions of dollars of our own investment, before we actually won the contract: That is the very different definition of what the Secretary is asking for.”
Boeing previously made major investments to expand its operations in St. Louis, Missouri, to prepare for sixth-generation fighter production. This might include new fighters for the Air Force and Navy.
Parker also touched upon Boeing’s prospects for the Navy’s F/A-XX next-generation carrier-based fighter competition. A rendering that the company recently released of its F/A-XX proposal has a number of similarities with previous renderings of the F-47, as you can read more about here.
A rendering of Boeing’s F/A-XX proposal for the U.S. Navy, which shares some similarities with what has been shown of the F-47. Boeing
Of the FA-XX, Parker said: “Still no decision has been made yet, but we are ready to go if it comes.”
As for those F-47 renderings, only two official ones have been released, and Air Force officials have said they do not necessarily fully reflect what the aircraft looks like in real life, for operational security purposes.
We will have to wait for further details, as well as firm confirmation of what the F-47 actually looks like. However, that wait shouldn’t be too long, with the Air Force anticipating a first flight before the end of 2028, and with Boeing officials confident that the program is moving forward at a pace.
Ahead of flawed elections according to informed sources, New Delhi is engaged in high-level negotiations with the Myanmar military regime to establish new security measures, including cooperation of security firm. This measure aims to protect the security of Sittwe Port and ensure the rapid advancement of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project and the Trilateral Highway. These discussions could pave the way for further collaboration between India and the junta, providing India with a strategic foothold in the region to counter China’s long-standing influence.
India’s strategic ambitions in Myanmar currently focus on critical mineral resources and regional connectivity. Although India publicly supports the military’s election plans, the reality is that it has no choice but to engage with resistance organizations, as all of its strategic projects fall within territories controlled by these groups. Restricted by China’s rare earth policies, India has been actively seeking alternatives.
According to a Reuters report, India may agree to collaborate with the United States to extract rare earth minerals from Kachin State for processing before exporting them to the U.S. It is reported that India has already made contact with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to explore and collect rare earth samples from the region and discuss the feasibility of establishing transport routes. In Dawki, Meghalaya, trucks line up beside a clear river, waiting for customs clearance. Hundreds of kilometers to the east, workers are laying tracks and pouring concrete for roads that may one day connect to Myanmar and beyond.
If India’s northeast is to become a true gateway to the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia, India and the U.S. must jointly develop a practical framework—an interconnected network integrating roads, railways, waterways, and fiber optics—to link “Act East” initiatives with the broader Indo-Pacific. Complex Challenges For India, the primary and most formidable challenge is to complete and remove bottlenecks from key cross-border transit corridors: the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway (from Moreh to Mae Sot via Myanmar) and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, which connects Mizoram to the sea at Sittwe, then continues inland via river and road.
However, progress on these ambitious Indian strategic projects in Myanmar has been slow. The Modi government has shown signs of impatience, beginning limited engagement with ethnic armed organizations. Although the KIA controls key rare earth deposits in Kachin State, the region’s rugged terrain and underdeveloped infrastructure pose immense logistical challenges.
Myanmar expert Bertil Lintner has remarked that attempting to extract Myanmar’s rare earths under China’s watch, given the difficult topography and poor logistics, seems “completely insane.” The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, proposed as early as 2002, has progressed sluggishly. To date, only 70% of the highway has been completed. While the Indian and Thai sections were finished in 2023, progress reports on the Myanmar portion remain consistently delayed.
However, local sources reveal that Indian contractors have already begun construction in parts of Sagaing Region, operating under the protection of resistance forces and with tacit approval from the military. As for the Kaladan Project, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhawma stated on Wednesday that the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP) is expected to be completed by 2027. The project will link southern Mizoram through Myanmar to the Bay of Bengal. He added that the Indian central government is taking steps to extend the railway line to Hmawngbuchhuah in Lawngtlai district, Mizoram’s southernmost point on the border with Myanmar.
The Key Factor: The Upcoming Election According to the military’s Global New Light of Myanmar, India will send teams to monitor the war-ravaged Myanmar election scheduled for December. With parties opposing the military excluded or boycotting the poll, Western governments and human rights organizations view the election as an attempt by the military to consolidate control by paving the way for proxy rule.
India’s current push to secure its interests in Myanmar through security firms not only aims to advance U.S.-Myanmar relations and secure junta support to propel project implementation but also to gain a first-mover advantage and avoid post-election disruptions. It also serves to divert attention from India’s new arrangements in Myanmar amid the election focus. Should India cooperate with a U.S.-linked security firm, it would undoubtedly enhance its resilience to Myanmar’s conflict risks, further solidify the U.S.-India alliance, and boost coordinated efforts to address China’s challenges. However, this approach also carries the risk of provoking domestic backlash within Myanmar.
Slovenia’s parliament had approved a law in July, allowing assisted dying after a 2024 referendum supported it.
Published On 23 Nov 202523 Nov 2025
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Slovenians have rejected in a referendum a law that allowed terminally ill adults to end their lives, after critics mounted a campaign against the legislation.
About 53 percent of 1.7 million eligible voters voted against the law that proposed legalising assisted dying, according to preliminary results released by the election authorities on Sunday.
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The results mean the law’s implementation will be suspended for at least one year. Slovenia’s parliament had approved the law in July, allowing assisted dying after a 2024 referendum supported it.
But the new vote was called after a civil group, backed by the Catholic Church and the conservative parliamentary opposition, gathered more than the 40,000 signatures required for a repeat.
Ales Primc, head of Voice for the Children and the Family, the NGO that organised the no vote campaign, reacted to the results, saying “solidarity and justice” had won.
“We are witnessing a miracle. The culture of life has defeated the cult of death,” Primc said after the vote.
Under the disputed law, terminally ill patients would have had the right to aid in dying if their suffering was unbearable and all treatment options had been exhausted.
It would also have allowed for assisted dying if treatment offers had no reasonable prospect of recovery or improvement in the patient’s condition, but not to end unbearable suffering from mental illness.
Prime Minister Robert Golob had urged citizens to back the law “so that each of us can decide for ourselves how and with what dignity we will end our lives”.
But the Catholic Church has said allowing assisted dying “contradicts the foundations of the Gospel, natural law and human dignity”.
In June 2024, 55 percent had backed the law.
Turnout at Sunday’s referendum was 40.9 percent – just enough for the no vote to meet the threshold.
Several European countries, including Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, allow terminally ill people to receive medical help to end their lives. However, it remains a crime in others, even in cases of severe suffering.
In May, France’s lower house of parliament approved a right-to-die bill in a first reading. The British parliament is debating similar legislation.
The Gambia hosts Issa Tchiroma Bakary after Paul Biya, Cameroon’s leader for 43 years, wins yet another election.
Published On 23 Nov 202523 Nov 2025
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Cameroon’s opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has fled to The Gambia “for the purpose of ensuring his safety” in the wake of the recent presidential election that returned longtime ruler Paul Biya to power amid deadly protests.
The Gambian government confirmed in a statement on Sunday that it was hosting Tchiroma “temporarily” in the country on “humanitarian grounds” while pursuing a “peaceful and diplomatic resolution” to post-electoral tensions in Cameroon.
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The statement, posted on the Facebook page of the office of Gambian President Adama Barrow, said The Gambia was working with regional partners like Nigeria to “support a peaceful and negotiated outcome” following October’s disputed election.
Official election results showed 92-year-old Biya, the world’s oldest head of state, secured his eighth term in office with 53.7 percent of the vote, against 35.2 percent for Tchiroma, a former government minister leading the Cameroon National Salvation Front.
But Tchiroma, who claimed vote tampering, stated he was the election’s real winner. “This is not democracy, it is electoral theft, a constitutional coup as blatant as it is shameful,” he said at the time.
The opposition leader repeatedly urged supporters to protest against the official election outcome, urging them to stage “dead city” operations by closing shops and halting other public activities.
The Cameroonian government has confirmed that at least five people were killed during the protests, although the opposition and civil society groups claim the figures are much higher.
The government has said it plans to initiate legal proceedings against Tchiroma for his “repeated calls for insurrection.”
Biya came to power in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroon’s first president and has ruled since, following a 2008 constitutional amendment that abolished term limits.
He has ruled the country with an iron fist, repressing all political opposition.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has denied leaks ahead of the Budget have damaged the economy, following criticism the speculation has “caused paralysis among businesses and consumers”.
Recent months have been dominated by media reports about which taxes could increase, with multiple potential measures floated by the government.
Former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme this was “the single biggest reason why [economic] growth has flatlined”.
In response, Alexander said there was always speculation in the run-up to Budgets but the chancellor had been clear about her priorities.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely expected to increase taxes in her Budget on Wednesday to help fill a multibillion-pound gap in her spending plans.
Ministers had given strong indications the government was planning to increase income tax rates.
Anonymous briefings to the media from government sources had also suggested Reeves was considering the move – which would have been a clear breach of Labour’s election promise not to raise “the basic, higher or additional rates of income tax”.
Governments sometimes choose to leak aspects of their Budget plans to the media, either to test public reaction or prepare the ground for measures so they do not come as a shock to financial markets or voters.
Haldane branded the months of speculation about potential Budget measures a “fiscal fandango”.
“That’s been costly for the economy,” he told the programme.
“It’s caused paralysis among businesses and consumers.”
He said the Budget process was “too lengthy, too leaky, with real costs”.
Haldane acknowledged this “pantomime” had also happened under previous governments, adding that the “budgetary process has been degraded over many years”.
Challenged over whether the leaks had damaged the economy, Alexander told the programme: “People always speculate in advance of a Budget and we have always said ‘wait until the Budget’.”
Defending the government’s approach, she said the Budget process had taken place “on shifting sands”, with a downgrade to productivity forecasts and “a very challenging global economic environment”.
The Conservatives have called for an investigation into pre-Budget leaks, saying they have “real world consequences including for financial markets”.
In a letter to the Treasury’s most senior civil servant, shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: “Either ministers have approved the widespread briefing of confidential information surrounding the Budget, or serious unauthorised leaks have occurred within your department.”
The chancellor is expected to set out a range of smaller tax rises in her Budget, after backing away from increasing income tax rates.
The freeze means any pay rise would see people paying more tax, with more people dragged into a higher tax band, or having to pay tax on their income for the first time.
There has been pressure from Labour MPs to remove the cap, which was introduced under the Conservatives – a move that could cost more than £3bn, according to estimates by the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank.
While she refused to confirm the cap would be scrapped, Alexander said tackling child poverty was “in the DNA of the Labour Party”.
“One of the defining elements of this government for me is about what we can do to ensure that children’s chances in life aren’t determined by the size of their parents’ bank balance,” she added.
The Conservatives have argued against removing the cap, with Stride telling the BBC it was “a matter of fairness” that parents who are on benefits should have to make the same choices about whether they can afford a bigger family as those who are not.
The shadow chancellor told Kuenssberg: “The big choice at this Budget now is does the chancellor have the backbone to control government spending, particularly in the area of welfare where some of those costs are spiralling out of control, take those tough choices and therefore not have to start putting up taxes again in areas that are going to damage the economy.”
However, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said scrapping the cap would be a “victory” and it was “outrageous that it’s taken the Labour government so long to do it”.
He called for the government to “tax the rich”, rather than hit “people out of work or working people who are working really hard while their wages aren’t going up”.
John McDonnell, the former Labour Shadow Chancellor, said he hoped Reeves would announce a “redistributive Budget”.
“That does mean that the heaviest weight should fall on the broadest shoulders,” he told The Westminster Hour on BBC Radio 4.
“That means tax rises for the wealthiest and for the corporations, and for those who are making massive profits at the moment.”
Asked about divisions within Labour, McDonnell said: “What people want is, they want a sense of direction.”
He said Labour has a “massive majority”.
“We can do what we want in terms of getting stuff through Parliament,” he said.
“Yet we seem to be hindered by a lack of direction and some elements of competence as well.”
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Boeing, Saab, and BAE Systems have teamed up to offer the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer to the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. With a plan to build the jets in the United Kingdom, the partnership aims to deliver a successor to the Royal Air Force’s current fleet of BAE Systems Hawks from 2030. Saab was already deeply involved with the T-7A as an original partner to Boeing.
The three companies announced today that they had signed a letter of intent to work together on the British requirement for a new advanced jet trainer. The proposal puts the T-7A — developed for the U.S. Air Force — at the center of a training system that will employ synthetic training alongside live flying.
The first T-7A Red Hawk arrives at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on November 8, 2023. U.S. Air Force photo by Todd Schannuth Todd Schannuth
Synthetic work is an increasingly important part of flying training, with the latest training systems offering a blend of live, virtual, and constructive (LVC) elements. This approach reduces costs while allowing students to practice tactics and capabilities that would otherwise be impossible using an exclusively live environment, as you can read more about here.
The proposal is pitching the training system to prepare pilots for fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation fighters — the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon, F-35, and forthcoming Tempest, respectively.
“The strong partnership between Boeing and Saab developed the T-7 to be the world’s best solution for future pilot training,” said Lars Tossman, head of Saab’s Aeronautics Business Area. “By working with BAE Systems, Saab believes the U.K. can gain a worthy successor to the Hawk that is the right choice for pilots for decades to come.”
If selected for the Royal Air Force requirement, the T-7As will undergo final assembly in the United Kingdom, in an effort led by BAE Systems. This would ensure the company remains involved in the production of jet trainers in the future, after the Hawk production line ended in 2020.
Hawk T1s of the Red Arrows provide a flypast over Windsor Castle to mark President Donald Trump’s State Visit to the United Kingdom, on September 17, 2025. Crown Copyright AS1 Iwan Lewis RAF
If chosen as the Royal Air Force’s next jet trainer, the T-7A would replace the Hawk T2, which is due to be retired by 2040. It would almost certainly also be the frontrunner to replace the service’s aging Hawk T1s, which continue to serve with the Red Arrows aerobatic display team, and are set to do so until withdrawn around 2030.
The partnership is also looking to use the same approach to “support future international pilot training opportunities,” which could help the T-7A secure export orders that have so far proven elusive.
“Our new collaboration with Boeing and Saab will enable us to present a compelling offer to the U.K. Royal Air Force and our global customers, leveraging the latest tech innovation in training systems and a world-class jet trainer aircraft,” said Simon Barnes, the group managing director of BAE Systems’ Air sector. “We’re committed to ensuring this solution offers the best overall outcome for the nation to support the U.K.’s combat air readiness and deliver economic benefit.”
A three-ship flight of Hawk T2s from RAF Valley, on July 5, 2024. Crown Copyright AS1 Alex Naughalty
This document stated that the Hawk T1 and Hawk T2 “should be replaced with a cost-effective fast jet trainer. The current flying training arrangements for fast jets must be urgently revised to optimize capacity, building in maximum use of contractors and provision for training overseas students.”
U.K. military flying training is undertaken in three phases. Phase one involves initial recruitment and selection and basic military training, and is carried out within individual service commands. Phase two is known as the Military Flying Training System (MFTS), part of which is overseen by a private contractor, Ascent Flight Training Management. This phase takes pilots from introductory instruction and progresses them into specialized streams, including fast jet and rotary.
Finally, phase three involves pilots training on specific frontline aircraft such as Typhoon or F-35 within an Operational Conversion Unit (OCU).
As part of phase two, the Royal Air Force operates 28 Hawk T2 jets that train both its own and Royal Navy fast-jet pilots at RAF Valley in Wales, before they progress to an OCU.
An F-35B from No. 207 Squadron, Royal Air Force, the Lightning Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Marham on March 16, 2024. Crown Copyright AS1 Butler RAF
While the ‘second-generation’ Hawk T2 only entered service in 2009, the Hawk T1, now used exclusively by the Red Arrows, is much older, having first entered service in 1976.
Other contenders to replace the Royal Air Force Hawk include the TF-50, a version of the Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 offered by Lockheed Martin. At the Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition held in London in September of this year, Lockheed Martin displayed a model of the TF-50 in Red Arrows colors.
A model of a Lockheed Martin TF-50 advanced jet trainer displayed in Red Arrows colors during the Defense Security Equipment International (DSEI) at London Excel on September 9, 2025, in London. Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images John Keeble
Meanwhile, British aerospace startup Aeralis is offering a clean-sheet modular jet trainer, which it plans to build in Scotland. While Aeralis has yet to win any orders for its products, it has been provided with funding from the Royal Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office. The service’s Chief of the Air Staff has also said in the past that the company’s approach was something the RAF was “very interested in.”
A model of an Aeralis advanced jet trainer displayed during the Defense Security Equipment International (DSEI) at London Excel on September 9, 2025, in London. Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images John Keeble
That the Hawk T2 needs replacement has been clear for some time now, with the relatively young fleet already suffering from well-documented availability issues, which have had an adverse effect on the training pipeline.
In 2022, a fault was reported within the Hawk T2’s Adour powerplant, reducing the planned design life of each engine from 4,000 to 1,700 hours, leading to an average of just eight serviceable aircraft being made available each day throughout fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
In 2023, the entire Hawk T2 fleet was temporarily grounded after an engine-related incident on the runway.
Among others, these issues have resulted in a need to train British pilots overseas to make up the shortfall, at a considerable cost. This has included buying training slots in Italy, Qatar, and with the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program (ENJJPT) in the United States.
U.S. Air Force T-38C Talon jet trainers assigned to the 90th Flying Training Squadron, above Wichita Falls, Texas, July 21, 2022. The 90th FTS is part of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program (ENJJPT), which has also trained Royal Air Force pilots. U.S Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Pick Tech. Sgt. Joseph Pick
Meanwhile, an update on the T-7A’s progress was provided by Steve Parker, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space and Security, at a pre-show media roundtable ahead of the 2025 Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates that TWZ attended.
Parker identified “really good performance this year” for the T-7A, which should see the first operational example delivered to the U.S. Air Force at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, next month. Parker added: “We’ve got the first ground-based training simulators already stationed at the base and operational, and the program is doing well in its flight test; we are really seeing some good progress there.”
“We’re about 78 percent through test points at Edwards Air Force Base, so making good progress,” including having started high-angle-of-attack testing, Parker added. “The feedback from the United States Air Force has been great, both the testers as well as folks who’ve flown it from the Air Force […] We think it’s going to be a game-changer. Once we get it into the air with our main user, it’s going to sell itself.”
However, full entry into service is now not expected until 2027, a delay of over four years. Earlier this year, we reported on information that emerged about serious and potentially dangerous deficiencies with the emergency ejection system on the T-7A. This followed environmental testing of the aircraft, which also exposed new problems. More generally, the U.S. Air Force has been working with Boeing to fix or otherwise mitigate a host of issues with the T-7A, which, as well as delays, prompted a shakeup of the overall plans for the program. You can read more about what has been disclosed in the past about T-7A testing in this previous TWZ feature.
When asked about export prospects for the T-7A, Bernd Peters, vice president of business development and strategy for Boeing Defense, Space and Security, confirmed that the current focus is on delivering the 351 jets on order for the U.S. Air Force. However, he noted that “customers around the world are watching and seeing the program and the potential that it has, particularly when you think about the [Middle East] region.”
Peters said that Boeing is “definitely having conversations” with potential T-7A customers in the Middle East and identified what he said was “significant potential” for the trainer with “just about any operator that flies an F-15, an F-16, or an F-35 around the world.”
“We do think that there is a significant opportunity, particularly as we begin to ramp up deliveries to the United States Air Force and some of those other nations begin to think through how they want to recapitalize their trainer fleet and close the gap on pilot shortage,” Peters added.
Other export prospects could lie in a light fighter development of the T-7A, something that we have discussed in detail in the past. Previously, the U.S. Air Force looked at the possibility of an ‘F-7’ light fighter variant or derivative of the Red Hawk as one option to supplant at least a portion of its F-16C/D fleet. Some kind of missionized or light combat aircraft version of the T-7A could fare better when offered for export.
While details of the partnership between Boeing, Saab, and BAE Systems were not provided at the pre-show media roundtable, Peters also said that Europe was earmarked for T-7A sales, especially in the 2030 to 2035 timeframe. “Europe is one where I view that there’s a significant opportunity for us to be able to address not just existing Hawk fleets, but other fleets that might be out there,” Peters said.
As to the question of whether Boeing’s manufacturing capacity will be able to cover aircraft for both the U.S. Air Force and potential export customers, Parker struck an optimistic note.
Pointing to the company’s full-size determinant assembly (FSDA) approach, which reduces build time by moving drilling to the component fabrication process, making it more controlled and efficient, Parker said it would be possible to “scale up to very large volumes” for the T-7A.
“We’re going to go well above, potentially 100 aircraft a year, and we’ll be able to scale that up further if we need to go there,” Parker said. “Right now, we’ve got good capacity that will satisfy the United States Air Force, as well as other customers, right through into the early 2030s without having to put any more capital sort of into the system for that.”
A version of the T-7 is also in the running for the U.S. Navy’s Undergraduate Jet Training System (UJTS) competition, which seeks to replace the aging T-45 Goshawk — a type that was also developed from the BAE Systems Hawk.
Of course, should the United Kingdom choose the T-7A to replace its Hawks, the prospect of an additional final assembly line would allow production to be ramped up even further, to help fulfill more export orders.
For now, however, the U.K. government hasn’t allocated funds for its new advanced jet trainer, but with the Red Arrows’ Hawks requiring a successor by 2030, time for a decision is fast running out.
Kateryna Golizdra has been dealing with uncertainty about her legal status in the United States for six months. She hopes to endure another six months as she waits for the Trump administration to make decisions regarding a humanitarian program that allowed around 260,000 Ukrainians, displaced by the war, to live and work in the U. S. When her legal status expired in May, Golizdra became at risk of deportation, lost her job as a manager at the Ritz-Carlton that paid over $50,000, and lost her health insurance for a liver condition. She can no longer send financial support to her mother who lives in Germany.
As of March 31, nearly 200,000 Ukrainians faced similar risks due to processing delays in renewing their legal status caused by the Trump administration. The humanitarian program, which started in April 2022, was meant to offer short-term refuge to Ukrainians but is only a small part of the larger refugee crisis, with 5.9 million Ukrainian refugees globally. Golizdra is left unsure of when, or if, her legal status will be renewed, which creates a sense of ongoing anxiety about her future.
During interviews with various Ukrainian individuals affected by the temporary loss of their work permits, many shared stories of struggling financially. They reported dipping into their savings, seeking community assistance, and going into debt while they wait for updates. Some are afraid of being arrested by immigration authorities, prompting them to stay indoors or even leave the U. S. for safer locations in Canada, Europe, or South America. Returning to Ukraine is not an option for Golizdra, as her home was destroyed during the conflict.
The Trump administration halted processing applications for the humanitarian program in January, citing security concerns stemming from a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. While the program was not completely canceled, and a federal judge ordered officials to resume processing, only a tiny fraction of renewal applications have been processed since then. Additionally, a new spending package increased fees for humanitarian applications, adding to the burdens faced by these displaced individuals.
U. S. Representative Mike Quigley noted that his office has received numerous requests for help from Ukrainians in similar situations, with fears of deportation looming large for those whose applications are incomplete. Anne Smith, from the Ukraine Immigration Task Force, reported an uptick in calls from families worrying about detained relatives. This has led to chaotic interactions, with some being arrested while working or out in public.
Some Ukrainians have decided to leave the U. S. to avoid the risk of detention. Yevhenii Padafa, a software engineer, sought to renew his status but faced delays that left him without legal standing. Worrying about future complications, he tried to “self deport” using a government app that promised assistance for those voluntarily leaving the country. However, he encountered obstacles that made it difficult to relocate to a safer country. Instead, he ended up traveling to Argentina, which offers a humanitarian program, despite feeling financially strained upon arrival. He expressed the grim reality of preferring to be homeless in a foreign country rather than return to Ukraine, which is fraught with danger.
On Saturday, the Reuters news agency published an exclusive report claiming that the United States is “poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days”. The report cited four US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Two of the officials said covert operations would likely be the first step in this “new action” against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
This was less than shocking news given that more than a month ago, US President Donald Trump himself announced that he had authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela – a rather unique approach since one does not normally broadcast actions that are supposed to be, um, secret.
Anyway, it’s no secret that the US has been overseeing a massive military build-up in the region with about 15,000 US troops currently stationed there under the guise of fighting “narcoterrorism”. Since early September, Trump has also presided over wanton extrajudicial executions in the Caribbean Sea, repeatedly ordering the bombing of what he claims are drug-trafficking boats.
In addition to violating both international and US law, the strikes have produced little to show for themselves beyond terrorising local fishermen.
To be sure, the US has never met a “war on drugs” it didn’t love, given the convenient opportunities the whole drug-war narrative offers for wreaking havoc worldwide, militarising the Western Hemisphere, criminalising poor Americans and all sorts of other good stuff.
Never mind that US financial institutions have for decades reaped profits from the international drug trade – or that “The CIA Drug Connection Is as Old as the Agency,” as an article on The New York Times website puts it.
It should come as no surprise by now that the president who campaigned on keeping the US out of wars and then promptly bombed Iran has now found another conflict in which to embroil the country. And as is par for the course in US imperial belligerence, the rationale for aggression against Venezuela doesn’t hold water.
For example, the Trump administration has strived to pin the blame for the fentanyl crisis in the US on Maduro. But there’s a slight problem – which is that Venezuela doesn’t even produce the synthetic opioid in question.
As NBC News and other hardly radical outlets have pointed out, Venezuelan drug cartels are focused on exporting cocaine to Europe, not fentanyl to the US.
Nevertheless, on November 13, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – pardon, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, as per administrative rebranding – took to X to assure his audience that the massive US military build-up off the Venezuelan coast is a mission that “defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people”.
This is the same administration, of course, that was just threatening to starve impoverished Americans by withholding essential food assistance, which suggests that the wellbeing of “our people” isn’t really of utmost concern.
Consider also the fact that Trump slashed federal funding for gun violence prevention programmes in a country where mass shootings have become a way of life. Obviously, massacres in elementary schools are “killing our people” in a way that has nothing whatsoever to do with Venezuela.
But it’s so much more fun to blame Maduro for everything, right?
Poverty itself is a major killer in America – as is the domestic pharmaceutical industry (speaking of opioids). However, none of these full-blown crises has merited a remotely gung-ho response from the valiant defenders of the Homeland.
Like his predecessor Hugo Chavez, Maduro has long been a thorn in the side of US empire – hence the current campaign to discredit him as a “narcoterrorist” and thereby set the stage for regime change. He also happens to be a pet target of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is seen as the main architect of Washington’s war plans in Venezuela. Potentially eyeing a presidential bid in three years, Rubio is seeking to curry favour with his Florida constituency, which includes fanatically right-wing members of the Venezuelan and Cuban diasporas.
According to the Reuters report on impending “Venezuela-related operations”, two of the US officials consulted told the news agency that “the options under consideration included attempting to overthrow Maduro”. If the plans succeeds, Rubio would join the lengthy roster of US politicians who have propagated deadly havoc abroad in the interest of political gains at home.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the White House had “proposed an idea for US military planes to drop leaflets over Caracas in a psychological operation” to pressure Maduro.
And as the Trump administration barrels on with its not-so-covert plans for Venezuela, such hemispheric recklessness will secure neither the US homeland nor anyone else’s.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial policy.
Who: Manchester United vs Everton What: English Premier League Where: Old Trafford, Manchester When: Monday at 8pm (20:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 5pm (17:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Manchester United host Everton and are looking to extend a five-game unbeaten run under Ruben Amorim although they have drawn their past two against Nottingham Forest and Spurs.
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A win could see them move into the top four with Bryan Mbeumo’s scoring streak a key factor in their recent resurgence.
But Everton are just three points below Man United in a congested table, and David Moyes will be extra motivated to get a result at his former club.
Happyish anniversary for Amorim
Monday’s fixture at Old Trafford marks a year to the day since Amorim’s first match in charge.
Amorim’s reign as United manager started with a 1-1 draw away to Ipswich, and since then, the Portuguese boss has experienced plenty of lows in charge of the English football giants, including finishing 15th in the table and failing to qualify for Europe.
But recent results have been encouraging, and Amorim said consistency is key.
“Right away, I knew we would struggle in some things, but the feeling was it is the best league in the world, maybe the best club,” he said.
“[Now] I think we are showing [consistency], but the important thing is that it doesn’t matter what we did in the recent games,” he said. “We cannot forget we suffered a lot in those games and play every game like it is the last one.
“[We are] more dominant, playing better football, and more competitive in every way.”
Cunha credits United resurgence for Brazil call-ups
Man United forward Matheus Cunha has credited the club’s resurgence under Amorim with helping him cement a spot in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad before next year’s World Cup in North America.
Cunha, 26, has seamlessly adapted to playing in Amorim’s system as a hybrid attacking midfielder and forward, a trait he believes has strengthened his case for World Cup inclusion.
“Knowing that the manager [Amorim] trusts me to play in multiple positions is important,” Cunha said.
“Manchester United is a club that should always be at the top,” he said. “I’m grateful to be playing in a side that’s delivering and competing well. To earn a spot in the national team, you have to consistently show your worth at club level.”
Cunha is thriving under Amorim’s style of play in the 2025-2026 English Premier League season [File: Matt McNulty/Getty Images]
Moyes says Everton in midst of a rebuild
Everton received a significant boost after appointing Moyes as manager for the second time in January with his side steadily rising up the table.
Speaking before the game against Man United, Moyes said his team were continuing to work towards finding “solid ground” but it would take time.
“We’ve said many times about us trying to get on solid ground again. We’ve done that with the new owners, new stadium and staying up last year. So we have to try and make sure that we go steady,” he said.
“If anybody thought that we were going to completely switch everything around, then they’re completely off their head.”
Moyes continued: “I used to always look at the real managers from eras before me who I look up to now – Bobby Robson, Brian Clough, Don Revie – all those ones who’d been given long periods at their clubs, and if you look at the success, it tended to work better that way.”
What happened in Man United’s last EPL match?
Matthijs de Ligt equalised in the sixth minute of a dramatic period of stoppage time to earn Manchester United a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on November 8.
Tottenham had looked like they would claim all three points when Richarlison glanced in a header in the first minute of added time, completing a Spurs comeback from a goal down.
There was still time for de Ligt to find space at the back post at a corner to direct a header goalwards and over the line before Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario clawed the ball away.
Trailing after Mbeumo’s 32nd-minute header, Tottenham dominated the second half and grabbed an equaliser in the 84th through substitute Mathys Tel’s shot that deflected in off de Ligt.
De Ligt celebrates scoring the equaliser against Spurs [Matthew Childs/Action Images via Reuters]
What happened in Everton’s last EPL match?
Everton defeated Fulham 2-0 at home on November 8 just before FIFA’s international window, ending a three-match EPL winless streak going back to October 5.
Idrissa Gueye gave Everton the lead in the first half, and Michael Keane made it 2-0 in the second as Moyes’s side also had a number of goals chalked off for offside in what was a dominant victory.
Gueye of Everton celebrates scoring his team’s first goal against Fulham [Carl Recine/Getty Images]
Head-to-head: Last six matches
United are unbeaten against Everton in their last six fixtures with four wins and two draws.
The teams last played in a preseason friendly two weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 English Premier League season:
Manchester United 2-2 Everton (August 4)
Everton 2-2 Manchester United (February 2)
Manchester United 4-0 Everton (December 1)
Manchester United 2-0 Everton (March 9, 2024)
Everton 0-3 Manchester United (November 26, 2023)
Manchester United 2-0 Everton (April 8, 2023)
Form guide: last five Premier League matches
Manchester United: W-W-W-D-D (most recent result last)
Everton: W-L-L-D-W
United’s team news
Benjamin Sesko will be out of action “for a few weeks” after hurting his knee before the international break, Amorim said on Friday.
The forward, who joined United from RB Leipzig for 74 million pounds ($97m) in August, was injured during the 2-2 draw at Tottenham and missed Slovenia’s World Cup qualifiers.
United will also be without Harry Maguire against Everton after the defender picked up an injury in the Spurs draw.
Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo could be available to face Everton, and Lisandro Martinez is getting closer to a return after being involved in the Argentina camp over the break.
Meanwhile, Cunha missed a Christmas lights switch-on event in Altrincham after organisers revealed the forward suffered “an accident in training” on Saturday, raising doubts over his availability on Monday.
Slovenia is voting on whether to legalise assisted dying for some terminally ill adults after other European countries have made the change.
The parliament of the small European Union nation passed a euthanasia bill in July, but a citizens initiative, led by right-wing politician Ales Primc, forced the referendum on Sunday.
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The law will be rejected if at least 20 percent of participating voters oppose the bill. Slovenia has an electorate of 1.69 million people.
Supporters of the bill said it will alleviate unnecessary pain. Those against said society should care for the sick, not help them die.
Several European countries – including Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland – already allow terminally ill people to receive medical help to end their lives.
What are the Slovenes proposing?
Under the disputed law, which was set to take effect this year, lucid but terminally ill patients would have had the right to die if their suffering had become unbearable and all other treatment options had been exhausted.
The legislation is similar to the assisted dying bill passed by the United Kingdom Parliament in June. Britain’s bill allows assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with less than six months to live, the approvals of two doctors, judicial oversight and self-administration of the medication.
Slovenia’s law would require the approval of two doctors but also cooling-off periods and self-administration of the medication.
About 54 percent of citizens back the legalisation of assisted dying, almost 31 percent oppose it and 15 percent are undecided, according to a poll published this week by the Dnevnik daily based on 700 responses. In June 2024, 55 percent backed the law.
What are supporters saying?
Prime Minister Robert Golob urged citizens to back the law “so that each of us can decide for ourselves how and with what dignity we will end our lives”.
Marijan Janzekovic, an 86-year-old who lives in the town of Sveti Tomaz near the capital, Ljubljana, also supports the bill.
His wife, Alenka Curin-Janzekovic, was in pain from diabetes-related illnesses before she ended her life at a suicide clinic in Switzerland in 2023.
“She was in a wheelchair … and in pain so bad my heart hurt just by watching her,” he told the Reuters news agency.
What do opponents think?
The main political group opposing the law, called Voice for the Children and the Family, has accused the government of using the law to “poison” ill and elderly people.
Opponents said the law is inhumane and violates Slovenia’s Constitution, which declares human life inviolable.
Elsewhere, Slovenian Catholic Archbishop Stanislav Zore said the state should focus on palliative care instead.
“Let’s care for the sick and dying but not offer them suicide,” he said. The Catholic Church is opposed to euthanasia.
What other countries practise assisted dying?
Assisted dying is already permitted in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, several states in the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.
In Australia, New Zealand, Canada and several US states, assisted dying laws are generally framed around medical aid. These jurisdictions typically require that patients be terminally ill, mentally competent and assessed by two independent doctors.
In many of these countries, the patient must self-administer lethal medication rather than have a doctor provide it directly. These regimes prioritise patient autonomy and strict procedural safeguards, such as waiting periods.
In the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal, the approach to assisted dying is permissive. Active euthanasia or doctor-administered treatment is legal under defined conditions of unbearable suffering, even if the patient is not terminally ill.
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, only assisted suicide is legally tolerated as opposed to active euthanasia. Switzerland is an outlier insofar as there is no dedicated regulatory regime for euthanasia, meaning nonresidents may access the service via organisations.
(Al Jazeera)
Which other countries are currently debating assisted dying laws?
In May, France’s National Assembly approved a “right-to-die” bill. The legislation would allow adults over 18 who are citizens or residents and suffer from incurable illnesses and “intolerable” physical or psychological suffering to request lethal medication.
Under the bill, a medical team must assess the patient’s condition before a mandatory reflection period before the prescription of a lethal substance. If the patient is physically unable to self-administer, a doctor or nurse may assist.
The proposal excludes people with severe psychiatric conditions or neurodegenerative disorders like advanced Alzheimer’s disease. The bill now has to go to the Senate and must return to the National Assembly for a second reading before it could become law.
Elsewhere, Britain’s lower house voted to legalise assisted dying in June. The House of Commons narrowly voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, marking a major step towards legalising assisted dying in England and Wales.
The bill would allow mentally competent adults with a prognosis of less than six months to live to request medical help to end their lives, subject to assessments by two doctors and a panel including a psychiatrist, a lawyer and a social worker.
The legislation is not yet law. It must still get through the House of Lords, where it will be further scrutinised and may be amended. If it does become law, the timeline for implementation may not be until 2029.
